Overlook Neighborhood Update (June 9)

1) Kenton homeless PODs open house (June 9)

Before the Kenton PODs women’s homeless village opens on Saturday, they will host a community open house Friday afternoon (today). Overlook residents should check it out. This is the model that we hope will emerge for Hazelnut Grove until a better location for that homeless camp is found outside of a wildfire hazard zone.

After three months of waiting, mediation might finally begin between the Overlook Neighborhood Association and the Hazelnut Grove homeless camp to develop a Good Neighbor Agreement. Vahid Brown, a camp representative, shared great support for the Kenton model at an OKNA meeting a few months ago.

2) Summer at the Lab

The Overlook Neighborhood Association will take its general meetings this summer to the Lucky Labrador Tap Room on N Killingsworth Street. Don’t go to Kaiser Town Hall in June, July and August. Come have a beverage, eat some pizza and socialize with your neighbors while we talk about the issues important to Overlook.

Thank you to Lucky Lab for hosting us.

Our next general meeting is Tuesday, June 20 at 6:30 p.m. We’ll include an agenda in next week’s email.

3) Brewfest in the Park (June 23-25)

Grab your picnic blankets, bikes, the kids and the dog for the first BrewFest in the Park. Kick off the summer beer festival season with 60 beers, ciders and mead — many organically brewed. Eats will feature food carts Bunk Sandwiches, The Dump Truck and Urban German Grill. There will also be vendors a Crater Lake Soda Garden for minors and designated drivers, games for adults, and a children’s area with activities and free face painting.

It’s all coming to Overlook Park, and neighborhood residents get an extra drink ticket with proof of residency. Best of all, you can walk home after tasting some beer. Tickets are available online.

4) Traffic and transportation class

Local traffic and transportation issues, transportation options, and how to get things done in your neighborhood are the focus of this well-respected, ten-week, university course.

More than 1,000 Portland residents have taken this popular class and learned how to negotiate the maze of traffic and transportation agencies and issues. Here’s your chance to hear about how you can make a difference even in these times of budget cuts and shrinking gas tax revenue. Speakers include policy and decision makers, planners, and engineers from TriMet, Metro, and PBOT. The class is facilitated by Rick Gustafson, transportation planning consultant and former Metro executive officer.